US baby names · 1945

Most popular baby names of 1945

In 1945, Social Security card applications recorded 1,307,090 girls and 1,345,855 boys born in the US under names given to at least five babies of the same sex. That covers 5,242 distinct girls’ names and 3,783 boys’ names.

The most common names were Mary (59,278 girls) and James (74,464 boys). The ten most common girls’ names together account for 24% of recorded girls, and the top ten boys’ names for 34% of boys. Compared with 1944, 37,153 fewer babies were recorded in total.

Against the top 100 of 1944, 5 girls’ names and 3 boys’ names in 1945 are newcomers (girls: Laura, Sheila, Cynthia; boys: Jeffrey, Victor, Gregory). Of these names, 7 of the 100 girls’ names and 16 of the 100 boys’ names are still in the top 100 in 2025.

Ranks follow SSA’s order: most births first, with ties listed alphabetically. Each sparkline shows the name’s full history from 1880 to 2025, so you can see whether a 1945 favourite was rising, at its peak or already fading.

SSA names.zip · Social Security card applications · retrieved 2026-10-05

← 1944 1946 →

Top 100 girls’ names, 1945

Rank	Name	Girls
#1	Mary	59,278
#2	Linda	41,465
#3	Barbara	38,273
#4	Patricia	35,844
#5	Carol	30,389
#6	Sandra	24,700
#7	Nancy	21,456
#8	Sharon	20,838
#9	Judith	20,192
#10	Susan	19,222
#11	Betty	18,387
#12	Carolyn	17,244
#13	Judy	17,001
#14	Shirley	16,150
#15	Margaret	15,685
#16	Karen	15,680
#17	Donna	15,397
#18	Joyce	13,950
#19	Kathleen	13,802
#20	Janet	12,326
#21	Dorothy	12,323
#22	Diane	12,223
#23	Gloria	11,037
#24	Janice	10,781
#25	Joan	10,394
#26	Elizabeth	10,343
#27	Marilyn	9,534
#28	Virginia	9,244
#29	Brenda	9,203
#30	Martha	8,752
#31	Helen	8,301
#32	Cheryl	8,149
#33	Ruth	8,046
#34	Frances	7,940
#35	Bonnie	7,745
#36	Jane	7,639
#37	Beverly	7,618
#38	Jean	7,429
#39	Ann	7,038
#40	Phyllis	6,530
#41	Alice	6,359
#42	Pamela	6,169
#43	Diana	6,047
#44	Elaine	5,887
#45	Peggy	5,839
#46	Doris	5,820
#47	Connie	5,337
#48	Lois	5,148
#49	Marie	5,084
#50	Catherine	5,031
#51	Carole	4,842
#52	Gail	4,832
#53	Joanne	4,618
#54	Rose	4,557
#55	Charlotte	4,529
#56	Geraldine	4,475
#57	Evelyn	4,377
#58	Wanda	4,295
#59	Rita	4,282
#60	Jo	4,224
#61	Ellen	4,189
#62	Christine	4,077
#63	Jacqueline	3,989
#64	Sally	3,982
#65	Kathryn	3,971
#66	Sue	3,914
#67	Paula	3,798
#68	Suzanne	3,770
#69	Annie	3,741
#70	Eileen	3,637
#71	Darlene	3,626
#72	Dianne	3,611
#73	Anna	3,607
#74	Norma	3,603
#75	Roberta	3,602
#76	Sarah	3,592
#77	Laura	3,589
#78	Louise	3,514
#79	Rosemary	3,500
#80	Joann	3,465
#81	Anne	3,407
#82	Katherine	3,393
#83	Sylvia	3,375
#84	Patsy	3,350
#85	Rebecca	3,331
#86	Maria	3,313
#87	Lorraine	3,207
#88	Marcia	3,206
#89	Sheila	3,178
#90	Cynthia	3,127
#91	Kay	3,058
#92	Glenda	2,963
#93	Mildred	2,960
#94	Marjorie	2,929
#95	Ruby	2,904
#96	Theresa	2,895
#97	Irene	2,883
#98	Jeanne	2,861
#99	Arlene	2,771
#100	Anita	2,768

Top 100 boys’ names, 1945

Rank	Name	Boys
#1	James	74,464
#2	Robert	69,947
#3	John	66,117
#4	William	50,218
#5	Richard	46,046
#6	David	37,110
#7	Charles	32,469
#8	Thomas	31,874
#9	Michael	29,902
#10	Ronald	23,665
#11	Larry	22,824
#12	Donald	22,138
#13	Gary	21,345
#14	Joseph	20,823
#15	George	19,327
#16	Kenneth	18,096
#17	Paul	16,995
#18	Edward	15,870
#19	Dennis	14,990
#20	Jerry	14,704
#21	Frank	10,874
#22	Roger	10,571
#23	Raymond	9,858
#24	Daniel	9,708
#25	Gerald	8,857
#26	Stephen	8,641
#27	Walter	7,574
#28	Harold	7,524
#29	Douglas	7,394
#30	Lawrence	7,163
#31	Willie	7,030
#32	Jack	6,857
#33	Terry	6,834
#34	Arthur	6,802
#35	Wayne	6,738
#36	Joe	6,625
#37	Henry	6,606
#38	Peter	6,483
#39	Carl	6,314
#40	Roy	6,183
#41	Jimmy	6,159
#42	Billy	6,022
#43	Steven	5,974
#44	Ralph	5,785
#45	Johnny	5,699
#46	Anthony	5,686
#47	Harry	5,650
#48	Bruce	5,615
#49	Albert	5,432
#50	Eugene	5,167
#51	Fred	5,118
#52	Alan	5,073
#53	Bobby	5,052
#54	Howard	4,768
#55	Louis	4,480
#56	Danny	4,175
#57	Leonard	4,125
#58	Philip	4,112
#59	Stanley	4,058
#60	Ernest	4,005
#61	Dale	3,957
#62	Samuel	3,957
#63	Patrick	3,854
#64	Russell	3,806
#65	Norman	3,726
#66	Bill	3,711
#67	Ronnie	3,651
#68	Jim	3,625
#69	Mike	3,592
#70	Timothy	3,591
#71	Earl	3,567
#72	Mark	3,545
#73	Don	3,482
#74	Allen	3,481
#75	Tommy	3,449
#76	Francis	3,448
#77	Frederick	3,437
#78	Melvin	3,408
#79	Steve	3,384
#80	Marvin	3,294
#81	Eddie	3,223
#82	Clarence	3,196
#83	Leroy	3,170
#84	Barry	3,138
#85	Phillip	3,081
#86	Andrew	3,007
#87	Lee	2,942
#88	Alfred	2,894
#89	Tom	2,893
#90	Martin	2,823
#91	Jeffrey	2,782
#92	Ray	2,740
#93	Glenn	2,734
#94	Herbert	2,664
#95	Victor	2,631
#96	Gregory	2,474
#97	Curtis	2,393
#98	Bernard	2,388
#99	Clifford	2,384
#100	Gene	2,373